The Remote Desktop app for Windows is on its way out, making room for the new Windows app. Microsoft announced that the legacy Remote Desktop client, which has already been replaced on other platforms, will no longer be supported on Windows after May 27, 2025. However, users need not worry about losing any functionality. They can still provide tech support for their parents using the built-in Windows functionality or the modern Windows app, which has a somewhat confusing naming convention according to Microsoft’s marketing team.
«Starting May 27, 2025, the Remote Desktop app for Windows from the Microsoft Store will no longer be supported or available for download and installation,» wrote Microsoft’s Hilary Braun on its Windows IT Pro Blog. «Users must transition to the Windows App to ensure continued access to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box.»
The company has stated that connections to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box via the Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store will be blocked on the app’s expiration date of May 27. For all other users, the app will continue working but will no longer be supported.
Adding to the confusion, Windows has a built-in Remote Desktop Connection app that will remain the only way to use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections after May 27. However, Microsoft plans to eventually incorporate this functionality into the Windows app.
As noted by Thurrot.com, Microsoft had previously warned that it would replace the Remote Desktop app with the Windows app when the operating system’s namesake app launched last fall. The new app even arrived as an update to the Remote Desktop client on Apple’s App Store.
The Windows app, with its interesting name, was likely chosen by the company to align with its goal of moving Windows more towards the cloud. The Windows 365 service, introduced in 2021, allows users to stream a virtual version of the OS from any device. This makes calling the unified app used to access cloud and remote PCs «Windows app» slightly less bizarre from that perspective.
Despite the strategic reasoning behind the name, some reactions from the company’s fans on a Reddit thread from the Windows app’s September launch were quite entertaining. One user posted, «Microsoft needs to collect all the staff responsible for naming or renaming their products in the past 15 years and shoot them into the sun.» Another user humorously referenced the Xzibit meme, saying, «Yo dawg, I heard you like Windows, so I took Windows App and put in your Windows so you can Windows while you Windows.»
This article originally appeared on Engadget at.
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